Nechama Teena, the first woman who claimed Rabbi Zvi Thau sexually assaulted her, was offered a "significant sum" of money if she withdrew her complaint to police and stayed quiet, Ynet reported on Monday.
Thau is a prominent religious Zionist rabbi who heads the Har Hamor Yeshiva and is the spiritual leader of the far-Right and homophobic political party Noam.
The offer was sent to Teena through an attorney who is helping her with a separate case, according to the report. Teena refused the offer.
Shortly after refusing the offer, a number of rabbis, including Rabbi David Stav, began sharing Teena's story, urging police to open an investigation.
Special police team investigation sexual assault allegations
On Thursday, police decided to open an investigation into the charges and on Sunday a special police team took over the investigation after additional women stepped forward with claims that Thau assaulted and raped them as well.
טריגר תקיפה מינית. קחו לעצמכם 6 דקות ותצפו בעדות של דורית על מה עשה לה לדבריה הרב צבי טאו ואיך חייה נהרסו. הביא את העדות הזו ישראל רוזנר עבור המקור. שודר בחדשות 13. pic.twitter.com/EtHA90wmsb
— נדב איל Nadav Eyal (@Nadav_Eyal) November 13, 2022
At a press conference on Sunday, Teena's family claimed that they had received "veiled threats" from representatives of Thau, according to Ynet.
An additional six women besides for Teena and Dorit were assaulted by Thau, according to Teena's family.